1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of carrying out translucent-processing to both still and moving pictures.
2. Description of the Related Art
In xcex1-blending or translucent-processing in graphics, color-relating values in pixel data of two pictures are blended at a ratio of xcex1: (1xe2x88x92xcex1). The xcex1-blending causes reduction in both the number and size of planes to be transferred to such a degree necessary for reading a xcex1-value out of a frame buffer, in comparison with not carrying out xcex1-blending.
In these days, data in displayed pictures is likely to increase more and more, and hence, the reduction in data of displayed picture, caused by carrying out xcex1-blending, becomes a major problem.
Accordingly, the reduction in data of displayed picture, caused by carrying out xcex1-blending, is required to eliminate.
A circuit for carrying out xcex1-blending process is suggested in Japanese Patent No. 3049012 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-020049). In the suggested circuit, two data about pictures are xcex1-blended.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the circuit suggested in the Japanese Patent. The circuit for carrying out xcex1-blending process is comprised of a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a two-dimensional graphics processor 12, a character memory 13, and a display device 14.
The two-dimensional graphics processor 12 is comprised of a CPU interface 15 receiving a signal S2 from and transmitting a signal S2 to the central processing unit 11, a memory interface 16 receiving a signal S3 from and transmitting a signal S3 to the memory 13, a first unit 17 for displaying a background, receiving a signal S5 from and transmitting a signal S5 to the central processing unit 11, and receiving a signal S8 from and transmitting a signal S8 to the memory interface 15, a second unit 18 for displaying a graphics, receiving a signal S7 from and transmitting a signal S7 to the central processing unit 11, and receiving a signal S9 from and transmitting a signal S9 to the memory interface 15, a color synthesizer 19 receiving a signal S6 from and transmitting a signal S6 to the central processing unit 11, receiving signals S10 and S11 from the first and second units 17 and 18, respectively, and transmitting a signal S4 to the display device 14, and a controller 20 for controlling operations of the CPU interface 15, the memory interface 16, the first unit 17, the second unit 18 and the color synthesizer 19 through signals S12, S15, S14, S13 and S16, respectively.
The central processing unit 11 transmits a control signal S1 to the CPU interface 15, the memory interface 16, the first unit 17, the second unit 18, the color synthesizer 19 and the controller 20 for controlling operations of them. The controller 20 transmits a control signal S17 to the display device 14 for controlling operation of the display device 14.
The memory 13 is comprised of a read only memory (ROM).
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus obtained by generalizing the circuit illustrated in FIG. 1.
The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 is comprised of a central processing unit interface 1 to which picture data and first data indicative of a ratio at which two data is xcex1-blended are input, a video interface 2 to which video data is input, a frame buffer memory 8 storing the above-mentioned picture data and first data therein, a memory interface 7 acting as an interface for the frame buffer memory 8, a graphic macro circuit, and a display macro circuit 6 which controls pictures to be displayed, and includes a circuit 6a for carrying out xcex1-blending.
The graphic macro circuit is comprised of a digital differential analysis (DDA) circuit 3, a texture mapping circuit 4, and a circuit 5 for transferring a bit block.
The above-mentioned apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 is accompanied with a problem that when data about pictures to be displayed is to be xcex1-blended, it is necessary to read both two picture data to be xcex1-blended and the first data indicative of a ratio at which the two picture data is xcex1-blended, out of the frame buffer memory 8 for both still and moving pictures each time a picture to be displayed is changed.
As a result, the picture data indicating a picture to be displayed has to be reduced in size to such a degree necessary for reading the first data out of the frame buffer memory 8, because of a limit in time for making access to the frame buffer memory 8.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-228246 has suggested a pachinko machine including a display unit formed on a playing board for electronically displaying a plurality of characters, a selector which selects one of graphics including the above-mentioned characters and causes the display unit to display the thus selected picture, a first memory which stores data about a still picture displayed on the display unit, a second memory which stores data about a moving picture displayed on the display unit, a picture synthesizer which synthesizes a still picture stored in the first memory and a moving picture stored in the second memory with each other in accordance with the graphics having been selected by the selector, and a third memory which stores data about the thus synthesized picture.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-505644, which is an international patent application PCT/US96/02830 based on the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/413,983 filed on Mar. 6, 1995, has suggested a picture producing apparatus including a central processing unit, a system memory storing therein commands used for operating the central processing unit, a frame buffer therein storing a picks map having data about displayable pixels, a rendering processor which is operatively connected to the frame buffer, scan-converts a primitive into pixel data in response to a command transmitted from the central processing unit, and stores the thus obtained pixel data in the frame buffer, a memory bus through which the central processing unit transmits data to or receives data from the system memory, at least one high capacity memory or at least one peripheral device, and an I/O bus through which the central processing unit and the rendering processor transmit data to each other. The central processing unit operates in accordance with commands fetched from the system memory through the memory bus, to thereby produce primitive and texel commands, and transmits the primitive and texel commands to the rendering processor through the I/O bus. The rendering processor produces a pixel memory address, sophisticates the pixel data by linear interpolation, and carries out the texel command.
However, the above-mentioned problem remains unsolved even in the above-mentioned Patent or Publication.
In view of the above-mentioned problem in the conventional apparatus and method, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for and a method of carrying out xcex1-blending, both of which are capable of reducing a time necessary for reading data indicative of a ratio at which two data are xcex1-blended, out of a frame buffer, and further reducing data about pictures to be displayed.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including a moving picture processor for carrying out xcex1-blending process to a moving picture to be displayed, and a still picture processor for carrying out xcex1-blending process to a still picture to be displayed.
It is preferable that the still picture processor carries out the xcex1-blending process to a still picture only when the still picture is updated.
There is further provided an apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including (a) a judgment unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly, (b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of the first and second pictures are blended, (c) a still picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in the memory, and (d) a moving picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture.
It is preferable that the still picture processor carries out translucent-processing to the still picture only when the still picture is updated.
There is still further provided an apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including (a) a central processing unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly, (b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of the first and second pictures are blended, (c) a video interface through which video data is input into the apparatus, (d) a digital differential analysis circuit electrically connected between the central processing unit and the memory, (e) a texture mapping circuit electrically connected between the central processing unit and the memory, (f) a bit-block transferring circuit for transferring a bit block between the central processing unit and the memory, (g) a display macro circuit which controls picture-displaying, (h) a still picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in the memory, the still picture processor being equipped in the bit-block transferring circuit, and (i) a moving picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture, the moving picture processor being equipped in the display macro circuit.
There is yet further provided an apparatus for carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including (a) a central processing unit which judges whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, and transmits a judgment signal accordingly, (b) a memory which stores first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of the first and second pictures are blended, (c) a video interface through which video data is input into the apparatus, (d) a digital differential analysis circuit electrically connected between the central processing unit and the memory, (e) a texture mapping circuit electrically connected between the central processing unit and the memory, (f) a bit-block transferring circuit for transferring a bit block between the central processing unit and the memory, (g) a display macro circuit which controls picture-displaying, (h) a still picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a still picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and stores the thus produced third data in the memory, the still picture processor being equipped in the texture mapping circuit, and (i) a moving picture processor which, when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blends color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture, the moving picture processor being equipped in the display macro circuit.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including the steps of carrying out xcex1-blending process to a moving picture to be displayed, in accordance with first steps, and carrying out xcex1-blending process to a still picture to be displayed, in accordance with second steps.
It is preferable that the xcex1-blending process is carried out to the still picture only when the still picture is updated.
There is further provided a method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including the steps of (a) judging whether a picture to be displayed is a still or moving picture, (b) storing first data about first and second pictures to be processed, and second data indicative of a ratio at which pixels of the first and second pictures are blended, into a memory, (c) when the picture to be processed is a still picture, blending color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing third data relating to a translucent picture, and storing the thus produced third data in the memory, and (d) when the judgment signal indicates that a picture to be processed is a moving picture, blending color-relating values of the pixels in a portion at which the first and second pictures overlap each other, at the ratio, for producing fourth data relating to a translucent picture.
There is still further provided a method of carrying out translucent-processing to still and moving pictures, including the steps of (a) receiving first data of a still picture, second data of a still picture, third data of a moving picture, fourth data of a moving picture, and a blending ratio xcex1, and storing them into a memory, (b) reading the first and second data and the blending ratio xcex1 out of the memory, (c) carrying out xcex1-blending process to both the first and second data, and the third and fourth data independently of each other, and (d) storing the first and second data into the memory.
The method may further include (e) reading the first and second data again out of the memory, (1) transmitting the first and second data for displaying pictures expressed by the first and second data, and (g) repeating the steps (e) and (f) until the still picture is updated.
The advantages obtained by the aforementioned present invention will be described hereinbelow.
In accordance with the present invention, an xcex1-blending process is switched between a still picture and a moving picture. Specifically, an xcex1-blending process is carried out to a still picture in the still picture processor, and another xcex1-blending process is carried out to a moving picture in the moving picture processor.
By carrying out the xcex1-blending process to a still picture only when a still picture is updated, it would be possible to reduce the number of access to a frame buffer memory in comparison with the conventional apparatus in which the xcex1-blending process is carried out to each of frames.
By designing the still picture processor to carry out translucent-processing in a period of time equal to a time necessary for transferring rectangular picture data, it would be possible for the bit-block transferring circuit to include the still picture processor therein without necessity of modifying the circuit structure of the still picture processor.
The above and other objects and advantageous features of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the drawings.